Registration for School Food and Fund Drive is Still Open

(OKLAHOMA CITY) – Sept. 26, 2016 – Through the annual Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive, schools in central and western Oklahoma are collecting food and fund donations through November 11 to benefit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and its partner agencies. To date, more than 240 schools have joined the fight against hunger in the state.

“Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation,” said Rodney W. Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “Make a difference in your community by supporting this student-led food and fund drive. We thank all of the participating schools, sponsors, and donors for making sure our hungry neighbors have enough food for their families this winter.”

Most needed food items include: canned meats, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, and rice and beans. Monetary donations are also encouraged. In fact, for every dollar donated the Regional Food Bank provides five meals for children, seniors and families struggling with hunger. The goal of the drive is to raise more than 450,000 meals to fight hunger in Oklahoma.

As part of Students Against Hunger, the Regional Food Bank encourages schools to use the Hunger 101 curriculum to educate students on local hunger issues. The curriculum includes: pass skill/core standard aligned activities, supplemental worksheets that reinforce principles from the activities and a variety of teacher resources. For more information about Hunger 101, visit regionalfoodbank.org/hunger101.

“Working together, students across our state can help solve hunger in Oklahoma,” said Bivens.

It’s not too late to join the fight against hunger. To sign up, visit regionalfoodbank.org/SAH, call 405-600-3174 or e-mail nprice@regionalfoodbank.org.

The Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive is presented by the Oklahoma County Bar Association – Young Lawyers Division, Devon Energy Corporation and Chesapeake Energy Corporation.

Established in 1980, the Regional Food Bank is the largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization in the state of Oklahoma. Last fiscal year, the nonprofit distributed 52 million pounds of food and products through a network of more than 1,300 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties.

Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation, where one in four children struggles with hunger every day. Most of the clients served by the Regional Food Bank are children, seniors living on fixed incomes and working families who cannot make ends meet.

Together, we can solve childhood hunger. Every donation to Food for Kids between now and September 30 will be matched, up to $150,000, thanks to the generosity of the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma, Top of the World, David Gorham and two anonymous families. To make a donation, visit foodforkids.us or call 405-600-3136. For more information, visit regionalfoodbank.org.

About the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is the state’s largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization and a member of Feeding America’s network of Food Banks. The nonprofit provides enough food to feed more than 126,000 hungry Oklahomans each week through a network of more than 1,300 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 644 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry. For more information, visit http://www.regionalfoodbank.org; find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/regionalfoodbank or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rfbo.